JP2007516035A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Adjustable legs for anchors on casters

  The present invention relates to a travel rod, and more particularly to a movable mechanism for stabilizing a travel rod with casters.

  Conventionally, a bag is easily transported by attaching a wheel to its bottom surface. Without wheels, the user must lift or carry the travel bag by hand, but by attaching the wheel to the bag, the user can simply pull the travel bag and move from place to place. Become. The design combining the travel rod and the wheel significantly reduces the burden of carrying the travel rod, particularly for those with weak muscles and / or for physically handicapped.

  However, although the combination of wheels and heels has significantly reduced the burden of travel, it also causes another increase. The kites are becoming more and more stowed, and therefore are even heavier. Most people are not concerned about towing and moving heavier and / or bulky kites, but some experience difficulties when trying to fix the kites in an upright position.

  Some upright saddles include an expandable compartment located on the bag surface opposite the wheel. When such a compartment is filled with objects, the center of gravity of the heel moves and the tendency of the heel to fall from an upright position increases. Despite the fact that many scissors have an expandable compartment, most of them do not have a structure to support biased loads.

Some kite designs have attempted to provide a solution to the tendency to fall from an upright position. Wang's US Pat. No. 5,469,944 is directed to a swivel leg for a travel kite to prevent the kite from tipping forward. U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,842 to Tsai discloses the operation of a support member that moves forward to prevent it from tipping forward. Seinaev's U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,476 discloses a front support wheel that is movable to support a heel. Koudery, U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,109, discloses a support leg housed therein. King et al., US Pat. No. 5,758,752, discloses a rear wheel that swivels to change the position of the center of gravity.
U.S. Pat.No. 5,469,944 U.S. Pat.No. 6,405,842 U.S. Pat.No. 5,044,476 U.S. Pat.No. 4,575,109 U.S. Pat.No. 5,758,752

  Nevertheless, the above heel design is prone to damage because the support structure protrudes from the edge of the heel. Furthermore, many such designs are prone to failure due to the chosen placement and / or structure. Therefore, there is a need for an upright caster-supported support structure that is easy to use, prevents inadvertent falls, and is not easily damaged.

  The present invention includes an upright caster including a case having a bottom wall, a top wall facing the bottom wall, and a back wall extending between a rear end of the bottom wall and a rear end of the top wall. Concerning the spear. The upright caster saddle further includes one or more wheels that are rotatably mounted to a portion of the case substantially at the rear end of the bottom wall. Still further, it includes one or more base members extending from the bottom wall and having one or more portions spaced from the wheels. One or more legs may be movably attached to the base from a first position substantially adjacent to the bottom wall to a second position extending from the bottom wall. The upright caster wrinkle may further comprise an extendable handle attached adjacent to the back wall of the case.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the base member may include a rectangular body extending between opposing ends, and the legs may be pivotally attached to the opposing ends. . The rectangular parallelepiped may extend substantially parallel to the rear end of the bottom wall, and the leg may be pivotally attached to the opposite end. Further, the one or more legs may extend a first distance from the bottom wall when moved to the second position, and the one or more wheels may extend a second distance from the bottom wall. At this time, the first distance is longer than the second distance.

  In one embodiment, an upright caster saddle has a bottom wall, a top wall facing the bottom wall, and a back wall extending between the rear end of the bottom wall and the rear end of the top wall including. The upright caster cage further includes one or more wheels rotatably mounted on the rear end portion of the bottom wall of the case and a bottom wall spaced from the one or more wheels. And one or more base members extending from the main body. In such an embodiment, the base member may have a grounding surface facing the bottom wall. The upright caster saddle further includes one or more legs movably attached to the base member. Each leg may be movable from a first position between the bottom wall and the grounding surface to a second position where at least a portion of the leg extends away from the bottom wall and extends beyond the installation surface.

  As one example, an upright caster rivet may include an extensible handle attached adjacent to the back wall of the case. The base member may include a rectangular parallelepiped that extends between opposing ends. One leg may be attached to each of the opposite ends.

  In another embodiment, an upright caster ridge includes a bottom wall, a top wall facing the bottom wall, and a back wall extending between the rear end of the bottom wall and the rear end of the top wall. including. The upright caster cage further includes one or more wheels rotatably mounted on a portion of the rear end of the bottom wall of the case. Further included is one or more base members having one or more portions extending from the bottom wall and spaced from the wheels. The base member may have a ground plane facing the rectangular parallelepiped and the bottom wall. The upright caster cage further includes one or more legs movably attached to the base. Each leg may be movable from a first position between the bottom wall and the ground plane to a second position where at least a portion of the leg extends away from the bottom wall and beyond the ground plane.

  In another embodiment, an upright caster ridge includes a case having a bottom wall, a top wall opposite the bottom wall, and a back wall extending between a rear end of the bottom wall and a rear end of the top wall. Including. The upright caster bag further includes one or more wheels that are rotatably mounted to a portion of the rear end of the bottom wall of the suitcase. It also includes one or more base members extending from a position spaced from the bottom wall wheel and one or more legs pivotally attached to the base. Each leg may be movable from a first position substantially adjacent to the bottom wall to a second position extending from the bottom wall.

  The present invention includes an upright castered scissor that provides a means to solve the problem of casted scissors having a tendency to tip over. In particular, the present invention provides an additional support means for a wheeled caster with an expandable front loading compartment that moves the center of gravity of the case and increases the tendency to fall. However, the present invention is not limited to castered rivets with a front loading compartment, and can be used with any type, design, and configuration of castered rivets.

  FIG. 1 shows one arrangement of an upright caster ridge suitable for use when separate support is required. The castered heel 100 includes a case 10, one or more wheels 15 that are rotatably mounted, one or more bases 20, and one or more legs 25 that are pivotally attached to the base 20. including. The caster saddle 100 may also include an extendable handle 30 and an expandable front compartment 60.

  The case 10 includes a bottom wall 35 and a top wall 40 that faces the bottom wall 35. The bottom wall 35 and the top wall 40 are provided generally parallel to each other, as is known in most rectangular folds. However, the present invention is not limited to this. This is because either the bottom wall 35 or the top wall 40 may have curved portions, which are not parallel to each other. As used herein, the expression “substantially parallel” includes true parallel and slightly deviating.

  The case 10 further includes a back wall 45 extending between the rear end 50 of the bottom wall 35 and the rear end 55 of the top wall 40. The case 10 may also include a front wall 65 that extends between the front end 70 of the bottom wall 35 and the front end 75 of the top wall 40. Like the bottom wall 35 and the top wall 40, the front wall 65 and the back wall 45 are provided substantially parallel to each other, but such a configuration is not essential. The case 10 may be made of any material suitable for it, such as cloth material, knitted material, leather, hard plastic, or metal. Furthermore, it should be noted that the case 10 can be configured by a combination of various materials, for example, a case 10 having a hard plastic end on a wall of a cloth material.

  One or more wheels 15 may be rotatably mounted on a portion of the rear end 50 of the bottom wall 35 of the case 10. Therefore, the scope of the present invention generally includes, as a variation, a wheel 15 that is rotatably attached to the bottom wall 35, a wheel 15 that is rotatably attached to the back wall 45, and a joint between the back wall 45 and the bottom wall 35. Including those that are rotatably attached to a defined part and those that are rotatably attached to the rear end 50. Any structure suitable for mounting the wheel 15 in a freely rotatable manner may be used, such as mounting on the axle connected to the case 10. Any material may be used to form the wheel 15 as long as it is a suitable material such as hard plastic or rubber.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the wheel 15 may extend over some distance beyond the bottom wall 35 so that the case 10 can be pulled. The distance that the wheel 15 exceeds the bottom wall 35 can be changed depending on the connection position and / or the radial length of the wheel 15. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular distance. This is because any distance beyond the bottom wall 35 is acceptable. In addition, it should be noted that if the wheel 15 having a radius extending beyond the bottom wall 35 and extending a relatively long distance is provided, the burden on the case 10 can be reduced even in undulating terrain.

  The case 10 may also include an expandable front compartment 60 that can be connected and / or incorporated into the front wall 65. As is known in the art, this front compartment 60 may be used to store additional items or may extend outwardly from the front wall 65. When this front compartment 60 is filled with objects, especially heavy ones, the center of gravity of the case 10 moves toward the front compartment 60, and as a result of the movement of the center of gravity, the case 10 falls inadvertently and unintentionally. May cause.

In order to add a separate support to the case 10 to prevent the bag from falling from the upright position, the case 10 has one or more portions extending from the bottom wall 35 and spaced from the wheel 15. Includes more than one base 20. As shown in FIG. 1 , the base 20 may be disposed on the bottom wall 35 close to the front end 70 and may extend outward from the bottom wall 35. Furthermore, the base 20 may include a rectangular body 80 and may be oriented so that the rectangular body 80 extends in a direction generally parallel to the rear end 50. However, the present invention is not limited to either the arrangement of the base 20 or the direction thereof. For example, the base 20 may be disposed along any portion of the bottom wall 35 with one or more portions spaced from the wheel 15. Further, the base 20 may be oriented so that the rectangular parallelepiped 80 extends in a direction that forms a certain angle with the rear end 50 and is substantially perpendicular to the rear end 50.

  FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of the base 20. The base 20 is shown to have a rectangular body 80 extending between opposing ends 85 and 90. The base 20 may include a recess 105 for receiving an attachment structure such as a screw for attachment to the bottom wall 35 of the case 10. However, although the base 20 is shown as generally rectangular, the present invention contemplates a variety of other forms, including forms with curves such as crescents. The base 20 may be made of a suitable material such as hard plastic, rubber, metal, or the like.

  The base 20 may be provided with one or more legs 25 that are movably attached. In one arrangement, the legs 25 may be pivotally attached to the base 20 via a pivot axle 110. However, the present invention may use any movable connection arrangement and is not limited to this. For example, the leg 25 may be attached to the base 20 by a hinge or a ball joint. In another example, the leg portion 25 may be telescopically attached to the base 20 and housed in the recess of the base 20 so that the leg portion 25 is substantially retracted from the contracted position adjacent to the base 20. It moves to the extended position extending away from the bottom wall 35. In such an arrangement, any stretchable structure including a telescopic arm capable of expanding and contracting the leg portion 25 may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the leg portion 25 may be movably connected to the opposite end portions 85 and 90. However, the present invention is not limited to the arrangement in which the leg portion 25 is attached to both of the end portions 85 and 90. In one embodiment (not shown), the rectangular body 80 of the base 20 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the rear end 50, with only one leg 25 adjacent to the front wall 65 and facing the back wall 45. The end portion 85 may be movably connected. Such an arrangement will fully support the casted heel 100 body, but those skilled in the art will add and oppose one or more bases 20 oriented substantially perpendicular to the rear end 50. One will recognize the balancing effect obtained by having legs movably attached to the end 85. Further, the present invention is not limited to legs attached to ends 85 and 90. This is because the leg 25 may be movably attached anywhere along the rectangular body 80.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the leg 25 extends from a first position (shown in FIG. 3A) substantially adjacent to the bottom wall 35 to a second position (in FIG. 3B) that extends away from the bottom wall 35. It is possible to move to the figure. The first position is positioned where the leg portion 25 extends laterally from the end portion 85, and the second position is positioned where the leg portion 25 extends downwardly away from the bottom wall 35. The movement of the leg 25 from the first position to the second position is indicated by a broken line and an arrow in FIG. 3C. However, the movement range of the leg portion 25 is not limited to this. This is because the base 20 may have a recess that allows the legs to rotate and house and allow more extensive movement. Furthermore, it is noted that the base 20 and / or the leg 25 may include any mechanism that is suitable for locking the leg 25 in one or more positions, particularly including the first and second positions. Keep it.

  The base 20 may have a grounding surface 82 that faces the bottom wall 35. The grounding surface 82 extends outward from the bottom wall 35 to prevent the bottom wall 35 from being grounded, thus protecting the bottom wall 35 from damage such as tears and / or scratches. The ground plane 82 may include a durable material that resists wear and tear associated with pulling the ground plane 82 along the ground, such as hard plastic or rubber.

  With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3C, the leg 25 may be disposed in a first position between the bottom wall 35 and the ground plane 82. In the first position, the leg portion 25 does not extend outward beyond the ground contact surface 82. Therefore, except for the wheel 15, the ground contact surface 82 is a ground contact portion occupied when the substantially upright caster-equipped saddle 100 body is placed in the upright position.

  Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 4A depicting a side view of the case 10 standing upright and horizontally on the wheel 15 and the ground contact surface 82 of the base 20. This arrangement can fully support the case 100 when the center of gravity is not too far from the front of the case 10. In such a state, the leg portion 25 is appropriately housed in a first position that does not extend beyond the end portion of the case, and is thereby arranged to suppress trouble and damage. However, when auxiliary support is required, the legs 25 can be used immediately.

  With reference to FIGS. 3B and 3C, the leg 25 may move to a second position in which one or more portions extend away from the bottom wall 35 and beyond the ground plane 82. In this second position, the leg portion 25 serves as a ground contact portion instead of the ground contact surface 82 when the upright caster-equipped saddle 100 is placed in the upright position. By extending away from the bottom wall 35 and beyond the ground contact surface 82, the legs 25 can extend from the bottom wall 35 approximately equal to or longer than the distance that the wheel 15 extends from the bottom wall 35. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ground contact surface 82 may extend from the bottom wall 35 by the same distance that the wheel 15 extends from the bottom wall 35. Then, when the leg portion 25 moves to the second position, at least a part of the leg portion 25 is longer than the distance from the bottom wall 35 of the wheel 15 and extends away from the bottom wall 35 and beyond the ground contact surface 82.

  Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 4B depicting a side view of the case 10 standing on the legs 25 and the wheels 15 in an upright position at a constant angle from the ground. The leg portion 25 is in a second position where the wheel 15 extends from the bottom wall 35 longer than the distance that the wheel 15 extends from the bottom wall 35. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular distance that the leg 25 or the wheel 15 extends from the bottom wall 35. Because their distance is relative. It should also be understood that the leg 25 can extend from the bottom wall 35 for a first distance when moving to the second position, and the wheel 15 can extend from the bottom wall 35 for a second distance. In this embodiment, the first distance is longer than the second distance. Due to such a difference in distance, the caster-equipped saddle 100 may stand at a certain angle with respect to the ground when in the upright position as shown in FIG.

  Such an arrangement is useful when the front compartment is packed with luggage, and by extension, when the center of gravity of the case 10 moves. When the leg portion 25 is extended to the second position, the case 10 tilts and can effectively support the moved center of gravity. If the leg 25 is not in the second position, the case 10 may fall from an upright position due to the moved center of gravity.

  Case 10 may also include an extendable handle 30 attached adjacent to the back wall 45. The extendable handle 30 may have an elongated expansion / contraction support member provided with the handle. However, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this. This is because any suitable extensible handle 30 known in the art can be used. The extendable handle 30 may be constructed of any suitable material such as metal, plastic, or hard rubber.

The leg 25 may be designed to simply rotate on the axle from the contracted position shown in FIG. 3A to the extended position shown in FIG. 3B. However, it is desirable to provide a mechanism for locking the leg 25 at each position. Two such different locking mechanisms are illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively. Here, in FIG. 5, a portion of the base 20 is shown showing a mechanism for rotating the leg 25 between two different fixed positions. A frame 509 may be provided to support the disc 502 of the leg 25. The frame 509 includes a shoulder 504 and one or more fingers 506,508. The disc 502 is supported by the axle 510 and is guided between the finger portions 506 and 508 and the shoulder portion 504 so as to be rotatable. The spring 518 may be disposed on the axle 510 and engaged with the pedestal 517. The spring 518 urges the axle 510 away from the shoulder portion 504, and the key portion 514 provided at the end of the shaft 516 is fixedly engaged with the side hole 503 provided in the disc 502. When biased in this manner, the axle 510 is prevented from rotating because the key portion 514 is also fixed in the side seat portion 520 provided on the shoulder portion 504.

When the button 519 of the axle 510 is pressed, the fixing of the leg portion 25 may be released. By pressing the button 519, the key portion 514 is disengaged from the side hole 503 provided in the disk 502. In this arrangement where the fixation is released, the disk 502 can freely rotate around the shaft 516 because the key portion 514 is not fitted in the side hole. However, when the button 519 is released, the key portion 514 is re-engaged with the side hole 503, and the disc 502 is engaged with the key portion and the side seat portion 520, so that rotation is again prevented. As a result, the leg portion 25 is fixed and cannot be rotated. The cover plate 512 may be provided with a hole 524 for receiving the button 519 of the axle 510 . The cover plate 512 can be fixed to the finger portions 506 and 508 using screws 522. The cover plate may also be secured to the finger by electrical welding, a suitable adhesive, or any other securing means known to those skilled in the art.

  6A to 6C are a series of views showing another structure for rotating the leg 25 between two different fixed positions. 6A to 6C, the base 20 is illustrated as being disposed on the bottom wall 35 of the case 10. A cover plate (not shown) has been removed from the base 20 to more clearly show the fixing means of the legs.

As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the leg 25 may have a disk 602 disposed in the recess 601 of the base 20. The recess 601 may include a first locking mechanism sized and shaped to engage with a second locking mechanism provided on the disk 602 . For example, the disc 602 can include a knot 616 that engages one or more notches 608, 610 formed in the peripheral wall 603 of the recess 601. The bias member 606 urges the disk toward the peripheral wall 603 so that the knot portion is fitted in each of the notches 608 and 610. By manually operating the disc, the knot portion 616 can be removed from the notches 608 and 610 by controlling the force of the bias member. More specifically, by pulling the leg 25 in the direction indicated by the arrow 618, the nodule 616 is removed from the notch 608, or by manually pulling in the direction of the arrow 620, the nodule 616 is removed. It is possible to remove from 610. In either case, the force of the bias member 606 is controlled by the hand force applied to the leg portion 25. If nodules is removed from the notch 608 or 610, the disk to a second locked position shown in Figure 6C from the first locking position shown in FIG. 6A, free to rotate recess 60 within 1 .

  According to one embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the disk 602 may be provided with an elongate bearing tube 607. The shaft 604 may extend short from the inside of the recess 601 and penetrate the elongated bearing tube 607. By this method, the disk 602 is supported by the shaft 604 and can perform the rotational movement shown in the figure. Bias member 606 is disposed within the elongated bearing barrel and produces a force that opposes surface 609 and shaft 604. For example, a coil spring can be used for this purpose. However, the present invention is not limited in this regard, and any other resilient component may be used to form the bias member.

  While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited. Those having ordinary skill in the art can make numerous modifications, changes, variations, alternatives and equivalents without departing from the definition and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. right.

The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments herein, but the invention is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown.
1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an upright caster scissor that is useful for understanding the device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an upright caster ridge base useful for understanding the apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bottom surface of an upright caster-attached cage with legs in a first position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom surface of the upright caster ridge with the legs in the second position. FIG. 3 is a side view of the bottom surface of FIG. 2 showing how the leg moves from the first position to the second position. FIG. 2 is a side view of the upright caster rod of FIG. 1 with legs in a first position. FIG. 2 is a side view of the upright caster rod of FIG. 1 with legs in a second position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the base of the case, illustrating a mechanism for locking the leg at multiple locations. FIG. 6 is a top view of a portion of the base of the case illustrating another mechanism for locking the legs in multiple positions.